April 20, 2015
FORT McMURRAY – Local parents are invited to a free event next month to learn how to help their children develop resilience and to protect them from the negative effects of ‘toxic’ stress.
The session will be held May 7 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Quality Inn, 424 Gregoire Dr., and is part of Alberta Health Services’ annual Children’s Addiction Symposium.
Parents will take part in an interactive workshop called The Brain Architecture Game, which will demonstrate how good parenting behaviours help a child’s developing brain and reduce the likelihood of that child developing addictions later in life.
Dr. Judy Cameron, a professor of Psychiatry and Director of Science Outreach at the University of Pittsburgh, is the symposium’s keynote speaker and will also lead a discussion at the parents’ session about how ‘toxic’ stresses in the home can affect children throughout their lives.
There are 100 spots available for the parents’ session and they are expected to fill quickly. Please call Fort McMurray Community Mental Health Services at 780-791-6194 to register or
for more information.
The open session for parents is part of the larger symposium, made possible by the Royal Bank of Canada through support of the Northern Lights Health Foundation, that will bring together health professionals from all over the area on May 8 to discuss issues related to children and addictions.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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